Now, I'm going to let you in on a secret, but first you've got to promise me two things. First of all, please don't laugh, this really isn't a funny subject. Secondly, you can't tell anyone, and I mean anyone about this. Not you spouse, lover, mother, dog and certainly not Mrs. Smythe from No. 36, she'd have it spread around the world quicker than Concorde can fly. No doubt she'd post the story on one of those damned opinion websites, and then where would my reputation be? In tatters!

So, will you promise me?

OK, then I'll tell you, I suffer from dandruff.



Oi! Stop sniggering, I thought you promised me you wouldn't laugh. Really, it's not a funny subject, I try and take pride in my appearance and it's not as if I don't wash my hair everyday. I use good quality shampoos and conditioner, I rinse my head thoroughly after washing it, yet still when I run my fingers through my hair I'm in danger of causing snowdrifts in the middle of June! Believe me, that is quite embarrassing. Well, I suppose it gives Railtrack a better excuse than leaves on the line, they can just blame me for sticking my head out of the window and causing a blizzard!

Anyway, as I've said, it's a bit of an embarrassing problem, especially as I do all I can to try and ensure I don?t get dandruff. But what exactly is dandruff? Well, if you already know or don?t really care, I'd skip this big, I try and make things as humorous as I can but it's a bit tricky when it comes to the science. So if facts bore you (I try never to let them get in the way of a good story!) I'd skip the next couple of paragraphs. But it you want to become a dandruff anorak, then read on.....

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So, what is dandruff? Well, contrary to popular belief it's not just a dry scalp. OK, a dry scalp will make your head a little bit on the flaky side, but although it looks similar it's no
t technically dandruff. Dandruff is really a chronic scalp condition characterised by excessive flaking of the scalp and is also associated with itching and redness of the scalp. The keyword here is 'excessive'. Everyone's head sheds skin in much the same way as your body is continually shedding skin. Around 80% of all dust in your house will be made up of dead skin cells, nice thought eh! People with dandruff suffer from an accelerated rate of skin shedding from the head, resulting in noticeable flakes of skin, or dandruff.

The flakes from dandruff tend to be a little bit bigger than those from a person with just a dry scalp, they are white in colour and slightly oily looking as opposed to the smaller, drier flakes from a person with a dry scalp condition. Don't they both sound really attractive!

So, I've educated you in what exactly dandruff is, I'm sure you'll sleep easier tonight now you know, but what causes it? Well, I can give you a fascinating insight into that too!

It is thought dandruff is caused by a fungus found on nearly everyones' scalp called Malassezia (try saying that when you've had a pint or two!). This fungus munches away on the natural oils found in your scalp and can create byproducts and acid that in some people irritate the scalp and speed up the shedding of those dead skin cells. Everyone's tolerance to this fungus is different, those people with a lower tolerance are more inclined to suffer from dandruff. Unfortunately, I must have a low tolerance to that greedy little bugger, hence I suffer from dandruff.

I'm in good company though, as it's estimated that dandruff and dry scalp condition will affect over 70% of the European population at some time, so stop sniggering, you could succumb sometime in the future! Pay attention to the rest of this article and you might find out how to treat it.

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OK, that's the science bit over a
nd done with, so for those of you who skipped that bit, welcome back! If you've been paying attention you should now know what dandruff is and what causes it, but what can we do about it apart from always wearing white clothing and trying not shake your head all day? The good news is it can be treated and you can make dandruff go away just by using a simple shampoo. So finally, after 750 words of pure waffle, I'm getting to the crux of this review! Yes, all that build up was for (drum roll please......) my dandruff controlling shampoo of choice.......Head and Shoulders.

I'm sure you've all heard of it, lets face it the ads have been going for years, those ones with Ulrika and Emma Forbes 'I don't have dandruff, just great looking hair!' I hate to be a marketing as for the company, they're not paying me enough, but it really does work.

So, time for a bit more science, how does Head and Shoulders get rid of dandruff? Well, seeing as the cause of dandruff is a fungus, it makes sense to put something in the shampoo that will reduce the amount of fungus on the scalp. Head and Shoulders contains an anit-fungal ingredient called Pyrithione Zinc, a patented formula that's supposed to help get rid of dandruff.

As I've said above, it really does work. A few days of using this stuff and my dandruff goes away completely. No more snowstorms when I shake my head, no more blizzards if I sneeze and I don't need to carry a vacuum with me to brush of my shoulders every few minutes!

One of the problems with this fungus is that it's very difficult to eradicate completely. Head and Shoulders keeps it under control, but does not kill it off altogether, so if you stop using it completely you will soon find those flakes building again until you're back to square one. It's not all bad news though, once you have got the dandruff under control you don't have to use Head and Shoulders every day.
Once or twice a week in place of your usual shampoo is usually enough to keep the dandruff at bay. This is great for all you girlies (and guys!) who are addicted to a certain shampoo, I certainly know my girlfriend couldn't live permanently without her Frizz-ease shampoo!

Having said this, using Head and Shoulders everyday isn't such a bad thing as I was surprised to discover it really is a very good quality shampoo in its own right, without taking into account the dandruff controlling properties. I find it leaves my hair really squeaky clean and easy to manage, OK, I'll admit I've not really got huge amounts of hair to manage (no, I'm not bald, I just like to keep my hair short!) but it really does compare very favourably with other shampoos I?ve used such as Charles Worthington and the Tricologie range from Boots, both of which cost twice as much as Head and Shoulders. I know it's not as trendy as these names, and there's a certain stigma involved in using Head and Shoulders, but if you can get over that it really is a good shampoo. I hate to admit it, but for once a TV advert is right, I really DON'T have dandruff, just great looking hair!!!!!

There is now quite a range of different types of Head and Shoulders shampoo for all types of hair :-

Classic Clean
Classic Clean 2in1
Extra Fullness
Smooth and Silky 2in1
Dry Scalp Care
Refresh

Personally I'm a traditionalist and stick with Classic Clean, but you've no excuse for not using it if you have difficult hair, give it a go, if nothing else it will certainly help the weather! (those snowstorms, keep up!)

Now remember your promise, don't tell anyone about this, I don't want it leaking out onto the internet!




www.headandshoulders.com
Around 2.29 for 200ml from most chemists, supermarkets and high street toiletry stores.